Unto The New Dawn
by knownobody
Summary: When the stubbornness of Vikings finally wears him down, Hiccup takes matters into his own hands, but he is not alone. Now with an entire new clan to look out for, how can he hope to maintain the hard fought peace he'd finally achieved, and what of Berk? of the life he left behind? Rated T for light cussing, mild sexual content, and violence
1. Chapter 1

**How to Train Your Dragon is not the Property of me, however I love it very much. I do believe it is the property of DreamWorks' Animations. That being said, here we go!**

_**Unto The New Dawn**_

**Chapter 1**

Life on Berk was nothing short of difficult. The winters were long and harsh, the summers sweet, but too short. The pork would be frozen for at least four months restricting ships from bringing in trade from other tribes as well as preventing fishermen from doing their jobs. That meant that during the most bitter and deadliest time of the year there was only one source of food livestock and agriculture; and here on the island of Berk, that singular source of food was constantly contested over.

After all, the Archipelago of Misery was home to many different islands with Viking clans of their own, and while the clans mostly kept to themselves, there was a singular problem that seemed to fight them almost every moment of the year. The problem wasn't rats, or bugs, or any other type of vermin. No, that would be far too easy; the problem that these stubborn Vikings fast was much more complicated than that. They had to contend with…

"Dragons!" a Viking yelled from atop one of the four watchtowers surrounding the large village. He then used one of his massive muscular arms to ring the large brass bell in the tower to alert the rest of the village to the oncoming raid. Out from the hundreds of houses ran Vikings, both men and women. The muscular peoples' known to all from any other tribe were the Vikings of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. Proud, fierce, and terribly stubborn, the Hooligans had been fighting the dragons for nearly three centuries. Yet in all those years of fighting, in all those years of death and loss, no one had thought to try and figure out _why_ the dragons were constantly raiding the village's food supplies. No one had thought to try and wonder why natural predators who survived mostly on water and fish needed to take food from a Viking village out in the middle of nowhere.

The Vikings rushed out of their wooden homes to the defense of their village and its stores of food. The herds were being gathered from the grazing fields into the Storm Keep located in the stone Cliffside alongside the village. From there the dragon fire wouldn't harm the animals, nor would they be able to fly off with them. Most of the crops had been stored there for when the great freeze of winter would hit. Most of the Vikings were clad in iron breastplates and iron helmets, armed with hammers, axes, or swords. There were few proficient with a bow as it was thought to be a less honorable weapon for a Viking, but those that had them, were deadly accurate.

From the highest hill in the village, from one of the only buildings made of stone, came a man, massive in size covered in muscle. He had striking emerald eyes and a long flowing auburn beard braided many times over. His scale armor had a massive breastplate and heavy engraved pauldrons, His thick fur cloak hung, un phased by the wind's pull. On his arms rested spiked leather gauntlets, a large battle-axe in his hand. As he exited his home he could see the dragons off in the far distance. There were easily over a hundred or two. From the looks of it, he could see that the raiders were mostly Nadders and Gronkles with a Zippleback and Nightmare here and there.

The Gronkles, known for their heavy and piggish bodies had hides tougher than rocks. But they were stupid and slow. They could only fire six blasts of fire before they need to rest and eat before firing again. They were not to be taken lightly however, as the rock-like hide could deflect all but the most powerful of attacks. Therefore the best way to take them down was to surround it and confuse the dragon until it became to disorientated to fly, then it was a simple matter of killing it from its underbelly where the scales were much thinner.

The Deadly Nadders were another force to be reckoned with entirely. Nadders were quick and agile, capable of shooting poisonous spikes from their spines and tails at will. In addition to that the bird like dragons also had the hottest fire of any known dragon. A Nadder's fire could melt an iron shield in a matter of seconds. The safest way to take down a Nadder was to wait for its fire to run dry and to either kill it from a distance without being seen, or to rush it just after it launched its spikes.

The Hideous Zipplebacks were twin headed dragons that preferred stealth and used its poisonous gas to incapacitate its foes before igniting the gas and causing a devastating explosion. One head supplied the gas, the other ignited, simple as that. The main problem was that the dragon had two independent heads, each with its own set of eyes. It was difficult to get the surprise on a Zippleback. Thus the best way to take it down was to determine which head supplied the spark to ignite the gas and kill it first, and then the rest of the job was easy.

The Monstrous Nightmare, its name was well earned. The dragon was large, strong, and had no fears and no qualms about killing. The only thing that made it worse was that it could light its entire body on fire, making fighting it very difficult. While ablaze the dragon could only be put out by drenching it with water or by the dragon itself. The Nightmares could take out groups of Vikings all by themselves, but fortunately they were far less common than either Gronkles or Nadders. Only the strongest and the bravest of Vikings went after the Monstrous Nightmares.

"Stoick!" a voice shouted breaking the bearded man of his thoughts. He looked down to see his younger brother Spitelout, a man with a similar, if slightly smaller, build than his with brown eyes and black hair. He wore a leather tunic with a thicker chest plate. He carried a sword rather than an axe. Running down to meet his brother they both turned towards the village square where Stoick would command the defense of Berk, he was after all Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe.

"Most of the men have already fallen into their standard defense groups, while others are helping with the remaining flocks of sheep," Spitelout briefed as they ran, passing Vikings along the way.

"Good. Light the torches, it's almost nightfall!" Stoick bellowed out. Large pyre pillars were raised into the air. They allowed the Vikings, more specifically the few archers, a light source to see in the darkness of the night. "What have we got?" Stoic asked as more Vikings came up behind him, ready to follow him to the death.

"We've got Gronkles, Nadders, and a few Zipplebacks, the usual. Oh, and Horst swears he saw another Nightmare," one man answered. Stoick released a breath of relief. No Nightfury's; that was a relief.

"_Ok, but I shot down a Nightfury,_" Stoick remembered his son saying during the last raid as if trying to justify just how much damage he had caused. Stoick would have been more inclined to have believed the small boy, if only he didn't have a taste for theatrics and spent more of his time training to fight rather than be, _himself_. Stoick loved his son, but Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III had this nasty habit of trying too hard to be something he wasn't, and it usually led to more harm than good. The boy was brilliant, of that there was no doubt, and half of the crazy ideas he had come up with were revolutionary, such as the windmill that helped churning the wheat they grew into flour to be used to bake bread.

In Hiccup, Stoick saw the potential to be a great chief, but the boy would have to realize that he just wasn't meant to fight. So Stoick had long ago made a deal with his late wife's best friend's husband. By marrying his son to a true Viking woman, he was sure there would be no trouble between the two of them in leading the village. Even better, the two were very close friends, or at least they had been when they were little. Over the years the two of them had drifted apart so the parents decided to keep the contract a secret until they were both of marrying age. But then he had returned from his most recent failed attempt at finding the dragon's nest, when he came back to find out that his son, _his son_ had gone from the town hiccup to placing first in dragon-training. Stoick couldn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. The boy took down a Gronkle with nothing but his bare hands; and he couldn't have been more proud.

Stoick then saw his own best friend hobbling towards him carrying a cart full of weapons, spares for in case someone lost theirs or it was broken. Gobber the Belch the village blacksmith, even while missing half of his limbs, was a force to be reckoned with. He was fierce and brave, and on top of that had a habit of thinking outside the box, seeing things Stoick didn't at a first glance. He was also the man Stoick had placed in charge of Hiccup's safety when he himself wasn't around. They had been best friends since they were toddlers and often Stoick would talk to Gobber to release his own frustrations or try to brainstorm ideas to help with the village. It was in fact; through Gobber that Stoick had seen his son's brilliance. The Blacksmith had trained Hiccup in the arts of metal crafting and while the entire village could testify to the horrors that it has brought, they would all say that he has a knack for making simple weapons. Hiccup's weapons rarely dulled and were nigh-impossible to break. Not to mention his non-dragon-fighting creations were a boon to the village. "Gobber, have you seen Hiccup?" Stoick asked his best friend.

"No, not since train'in earlier today, why?" Gobber asked. "He may not have finished train'in yet, but if it comes down to it, we could use'em out here Stoick," he added quickly. "Or not," he muttered when Stoick glared at him and continued on Gobber shrugged his shoulders and continued on, shouting for everyone who didn't have a weapon to get one. The dragons were coming.

It was well after sundown when they landed. The black dragon silently glided into the cover of the cove, the place where their covenant began. The dragon's large green eyes roamed about while it slumped along the ground before coming to a standstill so its riders could dismount. First came a boy, thin but lanky with messy auburn hair, covered in a green tunic and a fur vest. Within the vest he held his dagger, the first weapon he had forged on his own, compete with his initials, and his sketch book. His emerald eyes were burdened with heavy thoughts, especially with the recent developments and upcoming challenges.

Next came a girl with braided blond hair and striking sapphire eyes. She wore a turquoise tunic with matching leggings under her spiked skirt. Her small shoulder guards reflecting the moon's light. She had an axe clipped to the back of her belt for safe keeping. "I'm telling you, it all makes sense, it's like they're the workers and it's the queen!" she said sure of mind. The boy was still lost in his thoughts as he turned to nuzzle the dragon who purred contentedly. "Hiccup," she said getting the boy's attention. "What are you going to do? You have to kill a dragon tomorrow," she said sympathetically. He almost couldn't believe it. Astrid Hofferson, sympathetic for a dragon, world sure was full of surprises.

"I-I don't know Astrid," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders when he realized she was waiting for an answer.

"We have to tell your dad, Hiccup, this changes everything," she said again.

"What!? No! We can't, he'll kill Toothless," Hiccup said motioning towards the black dragon that had curled up behind him, watching with its curious, analyzing eyes. Toothless was the only one who truly understood him, the only other one who knew he it felt to be an outcast among others. There was no way he'd put the dragon in danger.

"You'll keep the nest a secret, just to protect your pet dragon?" Astrid asked confused and slightly angry. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and when he re-opened them there was such resolve behind them. She couldn't even begin to fathom the courage that he had. And once again it scared her just how much the boy that used to be her best friend as a little girl had actually grown up, grown up after she had practically abandoned him on the cusp of their teen years for the sake of her own pride. It stung her more than anything she'd felt before.

"Yes, I will," Hiccup replied. His expression softened. "Just, give me some time. I'll think of something." He turned around again, placing his hand upon the dragon's head, both of them closing their eyes at the touch. The trust and friendship that the two had, the same one she had practically thrown away when his awkwardness began to show…

She wondered if perhaps they could have been like that too before she let her own fear, and pride cloud her judgment. "Ok," she said more to herself than to him. "Ok," she repeated a little more resolute before walking up to him. Without warning she slugged him on the shoulder, his flinching immediately disrupted the peace between the dragon and it's rider. "That's for kidnapping me," she said with a light scowl on her face.

As the boy quickly turned to share a confused look between the dragon and himself Astrid pulled herself closer to him before quickly kissing his cheek. "That's, for everything else," she quickly and quietly added, just loud enough for him to hear before turning and running back to the village. '_And for everything that I regret,'_ she mentally added.

"Toothless, what should I do?" Hiccup asked the dragon. The beast lifted one of its large bat-like wings to give its rider somewhere to rest before enveloping him with it. "I know I can't kill a dragon, but with the entire village watching, what am I going to do?"

"_Well,"_ Toothless started, his thoughts reaching the auburn haired boy through the powerful bond that they had formed over the past few months. "_Is it possible to show that dragons and Vikings can live in peace?" _he asked. Hiccup knew where this thought was going.

"I'd love to try, but you've seen my dad, well through my memories at least. You know that he'd happily kill first, think never," Hiccup replied as he laid his head against the dragon's belly. The warmth of the dragon's belly seeped through his thin body washing away the beginning of winter's frigid cold.

"_True,"_ Toothless agreed; _"But what about the others? Are there any among the rest of the village who might sue for peace?"_

"I don't know bud; Berk has lost a lot to the raids, to that monstrous dragon. That thing is like the embodiment of death itself," Hiccup sighed. "I know there won't be peace until that thing is gone, but getting rid of it won't be easy, it's massive; and don't get me wrong, but a single Nightfury probably can't take that thing down on its own."

"_Who says I'd be alone?"_ the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself remarked, Hiccup could feel sarcasm trying to cover the fear. "_What about the girl?"_

"Astrid?" Hiccup asked, taken aback. "We can't involve her in this."

"_She's already involved,"_ the Nightfury rebuked. "_Whether you want her to be or not, the fact remains, she saw, she knows." _He felt Hiccup slump against him. _"It's at least worth a shot right? After all, here we are; Hiccup the Useless, downing the unstoppable unholy offspring of lightning and death itself, know laying in the middle of a cove, hidden from the rest of the world trying to bring peace to two opposing sides for the first time in three centuries."_

"Yeah, you're right, it's worth a shot. But we need an escape plan in case things go awry," Hiccup agreed, rising himself from his seat against the dragon. Toothless let him up. "Then again, with me, things always go awry anyway so I suppose a backup-backup plan should be good too." The dragon couldn't help but chuckle at him. While Hiccup's brain raced to examine every possible situation that could occur. They would be ready, and if the Vikings couldn't be persuaded, then they'd deal with it on their own.

* * *

><p>The moon was high among the stars when Stoick heard the creaking of the door opening. He rose from his chair by the fire and turned to face his son, who was covered in dirt and grime. "Hiccup? Where in Thor have you been?" he asked trying to keep his voice down. His shouting was loud, and he didn't wish to wake his fellow villagers, especially after the hard fought battle earlier that day.<p>

"I was, uh, training!" he lied on the spot hoping his father would buy it. Mentally Hiccup sighed with relief when his father nodded.

"Getting nervous about the big day tomorrow?" Stoick asked, eyes lighting with pride as the edges of his beard tugged upwards.

"You have no idea," Hiccup responded. Stoick nodded and sat back down. Hiccup stood there for a few more moments. "Hey dad," he started. The chieftain turned and faced his son again. "Why do we fight the dragons?" he asked.

Stoick looked at him as if it were the stupidest question he'd ever heard. "Hiccup-," he started.

"No, I mean, yeah they raid our food, but _why_? Why do we keep on fighting?" the small boy interrupted. Stoick stood there, thoughtful for a moment, in over three hundred years of fighting virtually no one had asked that before, save Hiccup and his mother, Valka. While Hiccup rose a good point, the memory of his late wife always brought out a fury in Stoick few had ever seen. He'd loved that woman with everything he'd had, then, just like that; the dragons had carried her off one night.

"Is there any hope for peace to exist?" Hiccup's thoughts broke him of his train of thought, before the notion brought out that pained fury.

"Peace?" Stoick hissed. "Hiccup, do you even know what you're saying? How can there be peace?" Stoick's gaze burned into Hiccup, but his son stood defiant against him. "The dragons have killed countless Vikings over the years and you're thinking about peace?"

Hiccup balled his fists against Stoick's fury but kept his mouth shut. "Hiccup," Stoick started after taking a breath. "Dragon's took Valka, took your mother when you were a baby, how could I ever believe in peace?"

"Dad," Hiccup said, finding his voice. "You once told me that a chief's duty is to his people." Looking right into the gigantic man's eyes, Hiccup didn't quite know where his newfound confidence came from, but he most certainly hoped that the new wellspring would not run dry. "That a chief must be able to set aside their own emotions to make the best decision for the sake of the village," he continued. Stoick's eyes narrowed.

"What are you getting at son?" Stoick asked. Of course he remembered those words. He had spoken them to Hiccup on the boy's fifteenth name day, when he decided to start teaching Hiccup how to be a successful heir to Berk. "Aye, a chief protects his own," Stoick responded. "Especially from dragons," he added as he turned back towards the hearth.

"Yes, but for how much long do we need to keep fighting before we lose?" Hiccup asked. Stoick stood straighter and turned back to the boy. "Dad, for three centuries, we've been fighting them, with no end in sight. Sooner or later, Berk won't be able to sustain us anymore; the raids will eventually bleed this island dry. What then?"

Stoick stood silent. Such had been a deep fear of his, as well as his father before him. It was part of why he was so determined to find the dragon's nest and drive the devils out. "Hiccup," Stoick started again.

"Is it too much to consider, making peace with the dragons to prevent that from happening, before it's too late?" Hiccup interrupted. "All we have to do is figure out why they attack us, and then fix it." Hiccup tried to reason.

"That's all well and good son," Stoick started. "Only, we can't speak with them; we can't reason with them; and we can't find them. We still can't find the nest." The mocking tone in his voice let Hiccup know that everything he'd just told his father most likely went in one ear and out the other.

The boy sighed in defeat. Stoick walked over towards him and placed his hands on his son's shoulders, careful not to shove the boy. "Son, go and get some rest, you've got a big day tomorrow," and with that Stoick sent Hiccup to his room.

Once the door was closed behind him, Hiccup took what felt like a last look at his room. His small desk in the corner near the window was littered with books filled with sketches. Sketches of people, of projects, and of scenery he'd seen. Also on the desk rested some basic tools used for carving wood and chipping stone. Across from the desk stood his bed, nestled in between the support beams of the second floor of the house. Although small by Viking standards, it fit him rather well. Not too far from the bed rested another hearth, much smaller than the one downstairs, with a pot hung over it. The pot could be used to heat bath water, or for brewing remedial teas. Off in the far corner rested half of a large wooden barrel that he'd bathe in. While most Viking men cared little for personal hygiene Hiccup had figured that he was frail enough as it was and didn't want to catch some horrible disease. Thus he made sure he bathed regularly.

After hearing the unmistakable sound of his father falling onto his bed down below, Hiccup grabbed an empty basket from next to his bed. He emptied its contents ad began to stuff it full of spare clothes and tools. He walked over to his desk and grabbed one of his empty sketch books and packed it away as well. Once packed he fitted the straps over his shoulder and climbed out of his window as he'd don't countless times before with practiced expertise and complete silence.

"_Ok Toothless,"_ he called mentally. Waiting for the reply, Hiccup made sure there were no extra patrols out that night before silently making his way to the forge, glad to see no lights within.

"_So he wouldn't be convinced?"_ the reply from the black dragon resonated through his head. An uneasy silence from the both of them told the answer for him. The feeling in the back of his mind told Hiccup that the Nightfury was making his way towards him as they'd planed in case Stoick wouldn't see reason. _"Is the coast clear?"_

"_Yeah bud, the coast is clear,"_ Hiccup said as he opened the large doors to the forge, being extra careful to make sure it made as little noise as possible. The forge, like his own house was made of stone, probably the only way the building could have possibly survived for so long. The only other building that could boast such fortitude was the Great Hall. Once he had the doors opened a black blur raced passed him inside. The dragon's large green eyes looked at the boy sympathetically. "_Now then, down to business,"_ Hiccup said as he quickly lit the forge to give them some light. He preferred their mental link at the moment; it gave him a sense of comfort to be connected to the dragon, not to mention it was far quieter.

Hiccup turned to the black dragon that patiently waited in the forge. Disconnection the artificial tailfin, Hiccup pulled the leather off and examined the metal exoskeleton for a moment. "_If we're going to fight that thing by ourselves, we can't have your tail catch on fire,"_ he told the dragon.

"_Agreed, it would do us no good for me to get shot down again," _Toothless remarked.

"_At least I apologized and set you free,"_ Hiccup played along, easing his stress. "_Any suggestions?" _

"_Metal is resistant, but too heavy. It'll be hard to control, but it won't burn," _Toothless thought. _"But whereas leather is light and easy to work with it can burn." _

"I suppose metal it is then, at least till the fight is over, then we can switch it back," Hiccup whispered aloud as he gathered some old swords to be melted down.

"_I could melt those in an instant," _the dragon suggested.

"_And wake up the entire village in the process,"_ Hiccup added. "_No thanks. This won't take too long, I already made most of the pieces a while ago when I was first building your tail, go ahead and wait in back and I'll be done before you know it."_

Toothless grunted in acknowledgement and slithered into the back room that had served as Hiccup's personal workshop over the years. While he was in there he glanced at the many sketches of himself as well as the many different designs and blueprints for the artificial tailfin that he could no longer fly without. One would think that being crippled by a Viking would cause a deep resentment for them, but as he bonded with Hiccup, drifting through his many memories, he realized that they too, were not quite as evil as he had first believed.

That however, did not excuse the suffering they had put his rider through over the years. To Toothless, such actions were inexcusable. The physical and mental abuse that Hiccup had been put through, simply for trying to fit in, to be accepted stung Toothless more than the loss of his left tailfin did. He remembered the blond female from the cove, the same one that his rider had depended on as a boy, and how she just seemed to toss him aside when he had needed her most. That was the true reason why the Nightfury had tried to attack her, for he knew Hiccup never would, so he had to for him.

Just outside the room the Nightfury could hear the steady quiet beating of hammer to metal. The smell of embers and metal filled his senses as the pounding reverberated within the stone building, lulling the dragon into a peaceful daze before he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Toothless didn't know how long he was resting, perhaps just an hour or two based on the movement of the moon. The re-modeled tailfin wasn't as cumbersome as he had expected. Hiccup did well with this one; the fin was constructed out of very thin sheets of metal, and was able to fold in on itself thanks to the rotating spokes. If it came down to a fight, he knew the tail wouldn't be much of a hindrance, if any, but he preferred the leather one because it felt more natural.<p>

Now the two of them continued their silent trek towards the arena where the teenagers had been training to fight dragons. The giant metal cage was located on a separate column of rock than the rest of the village, connected only by a narrow bridge formed over time by the vast ocean's storms. The top of the cage was covered by interwoven chains and metal bracers making the gaps too small for all but the tiniest dragons to escape. The walls were lined with all sorts of dragon killing equipment, from shields to weapons. All looked poorly maintained.

The ground was damp from all of the water that the tides probably brought. Hiccup was immensely glad that the patrolling guards didn't bother to extend their routes over to the arena that night. It was good fortune for them, but they moved as silently as they could never the less.

After opening the metal cage door, the two of them slipped into the arena. Once inside Hiccup fastened all of the belongings he decided to bring into the sacks he had built into Toothless's saddle. "Toothless, do you trust me bud?" Hiccup asked him. The dragon looked at him; he knew what the plan would be, but answered regardless.

"_Of course I do," _the dragon replied. The rider's posture eased up considerably. He knew Hiccup needed the boost in confidence, but that did not mean that the words were any less true. He and the boy had formed a bond within the confines of the cove. They were one mind, one heart, two bodies. They were brothers now. Hiccup nodded before turning to the first cage, the Nadder's cage.

"Well, here goes nothing then," Hiccup said as he turned the crank to lift the massive log that held the doors shut. Toothless stood ready just in case the dragon chose to attack.

* * *

><p><strong>For this story, I'm making a few minor (maybe not so much) changes:<strong>

**First: Hiccup is brilliant (yes he is in the actual, but in this he plans a bit more). He analyzes all of the possible outcomes that he can imagine for any decision that he makes that involves others besides him. He is also brave (not that approaching a Nightfury unharmed is cowardly,) but is willing to risk everything he has if it meant keeping his village and those in it safe. Even if it means losing his place in it.**

**Second: Hiccup and Astrid. They are engaged, although neither of them or the rest of the teens in their age group know it. In fact, no one besides their parents knows. Also, I've seen others build off of this, but I'm going to list it here just in case. The two had at one time been best friends, and deep down, Hiccup still is Astrid's best friend. While she knows that she shouldn't have decided to toss that friendship aside and treat him as if he didn't exist, she was afraid she'd get ridiculed if she didn't. She's a teenaged girl, and like all other human beings she makes bad decisions and while she tries not to show it she can be self-conscious about herself just as anyone else can. She can strive to be the perfect Viking, but she's still human and has weaknesses just like everyone else. **

**Third: Stoick and the villagers for the most part do acknowledge Hiccup and recognize that he would become a proper chief in time, but they'd just wish he'd stop trying to help kill dragons; it's just not his calling. Most of the adults don't openly insult the boy but rather try to use the good old fashion harsh and brutal Viking way to get their points across, but Hiccup doesn't know that. The teens (mostly Snot, Tuff and Ruff) take that the wrong way and actively bully Hiccup, thinking its ok.**

**Fourth: Most importantly, the bond between Hiccup and Toothless. I am borrowing a bit from Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Series because the bond between Eragon and Saphira is beautiful and strong and I can't help but think of it being the same between Hiccup and his Nightfury (And because I love his series). There will be no magic though, or symbols burned into his skin though, But telecommunication and sensing each other's presence and emotions will definitely be in the works here.**

**So, thus begins **_**Unto the New Dawn**_**, a How to Train Your Dragon story inspired by watching Httyd 1 and 2. So please leave your comments and questions for me, I'll try my best to get back to you on them as well as update as regularly as I am able, so until next time!**

_**~Knownobody**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Unto The New Dawn**_

_**Chapter 2**_

It had gone easier than he could have hoped. Most of the dragons in the pen had remembered him from the many different dragon-training exercises. As the sole one to not try to hurt them, instead protect them in some cases, it was easy for them to place their trust in his hands. Of course the idea itself sounded foolish, but they were willing to give it a shot.

The Deadly Nadder had been perhaps the hardest to win over, but once it was, it was without a doubt the most loyal, aside from Toothless. Then there was the Zippleback, the two heads must have been bickering with each other, or lost in some kind of deep philosophical debate, Hiccup figured he'd never know; but they came around. Then Gronkle was the easiest by far. The dragon had recognized the boy immediately and hoped that he had more dragon-nip on him. He was slightly disappointed by agreed none the less. The Terror came to his side the moment after Hiccup finished feeding the dragons some of the fish he'd snuck in for them.

Now, as Hiccup stood in the center of the group of dragons, he'd begun to wonder if perhaps there was truly a hope for his crazy idea yet. He unconsciously sat down and leaned his back up against his loyal Nightfury. The dragon wrapped his tail around the boy out of reflex. "_It's a foolish endeavor, but it is indeed worth a shot,"_ a presence resonated in his head. Hiccup was left disorientated for a moment. That voice had not been Toothless, and had most definitely not been imagined. It was proud, resolute, and undoubtedly female. Hiccup, ran his eyes over the dragon before meeting the yellow eyes of the Nadder. It turned its head at him as if to scoff at him. "_Did you believe that only your dragon could speak like this?" _she asked him. The Nadder's beautiful blue scales were only broken by the patches of yellow manifesting in strips on her tail and in a dense plot just behind her spiky crown.

"What? No!" Hiccup instantly responded defensively. "It's just, no one else has done it before Toothless," he continued, rubbing his shoulder nervously. "I guess I was just startled is all." The dragon huffed in amusement. The Nadder then walked closer to him before settling down next to him on the opposite side of the Nightfury.

"_Do not be afraid, we will not let them harm you," _The Nadder then said. Hiccup knew she was referring to the Vikings of Berk.

"_Indeed, this is perhaps the first time that any human has ever tried to bring peace to dragons in over a millennium," _One of the Zippleback's heads added. The Yellow Twin headed dragon reminded Hiccup of the Thorston twins, except that the dragons were far more intelligent. _"Yes, it would be uncouth of us to allow you to be harmed,"_ The other head added. Both voices in his head exuded a sense of awe that Hiccup could only imagine existed due to the dragon's shared consciences.

_ "Yeah! Besides, who knows! Maybe everything will turn out all right!"_ The Gronkle said enthusiastically as she hung out her tongue like a dog panting heavily. Her bulbous spiked tail wagging happily a she reached one of her hind legs up to scratch behind her head.

The Terrible Terror had not said a word sense agreeing to the ludicrous ideals that Hiccup so fervently clung to. Instead the small green dragon had curled up into a ball, fast asleep. His thin yet tall spinal spikes rose and fell with each of its shallow breaths.

Releasing the breath he didn't know he was holding Hiccup closed his eyes letting the relief flow through him. "Thank you," he said aloud, still not comfortable talking with the other dragons the same way he did with Toothless. Opening his eyes he looked up towards the stars glistening high above the caged roof of the arena. The stars had moved again, and the moon was getting rather dangerously close to the horizon. Dawn was just a few short hours away. After a short while most of the dragons returned to their pens, leaving Hiccup with the Nadder and his own dragon, both curled around him.

_ "Hiccup,"_ the Nightfury spoke up, turning his head to face the rider that had been resting against his folded wing. The boy had begun drifting n and out of consciousness. "_You really should get back and try to get some rest. Or at the very least get back before your father notices you're gone."_

Hiccup nodded in agreement. He stood up, brushing the dirt off of his green tunic. "But what about you guys?" he asked. The Nadder rose to her feet, shaking as she did so. "Toothless, if something goes wrong I'm going to need you here," he added, his voice sounding nervous again.

_ "And I'll be right here,"_ Toothless replied with a soft warble and a gentle nudge with his head.

"_He can wait with me in my pen,"_ The Nadder suddenly sad. If Hiccup wasn't so tired he would have been more curious about her sudden offer. "_So off you go young one, we'll see you later."_ With a nod in understanding Hiccup moved over to each of the cages, turning the wrenches and lowering the logs as quietly as possible. When he got to the last one, he took a last glance at his partner and the Nadder before locking them up as well. Deep down, locking Toothless up just didn't sit right with him, but as he left the arena he knew he'd have to; even if it was just for a short time. He took a nervous glance at the one cage door he dared not approach. The one he'd have to face upon the morning, the Monstrous Nightmare.

Within the dark confines of the dragon pen, two forms rustled about. It would seem that neither had the intention of sleeping. _"The boy s young, but he's strong," _The Nadder said quite suddenly. In the darkness Toothless turned towards the direction of the other dragon.

"_Aye,"_ the Nightfury agreed. "_That he is, I lucked out," _he added.

_ "How so?"_ queried the Nadder. Toothless then told her everything that transpired since that fateful raid almost a month ago. Once Toothless was finished regaling the Nadder with his story a comfortable silence rested between them. "_You're right," _she said suddenly. _"Were it anyone else, they probably would have just killed you, but the boy," _she started.

_ "Was just like me, alone and tired of being alone,"_ the black dragon finished. "_When we touched for the first time, I heard all of his thoughts, relived all of his memories, and saw into his heart." _The Nadder listened on in silence_. "And just like that we bonded. His heart beats with mine, and mine with his. All of his joy is mine as well as his pain…"_

The Nadder, genuinely curious pried a little more than she thought appropriate. _"You said he was alone? What of the rest in this village?" _she asked.

_ "They cast him aside, an exile in all but name," _Toothless responded. "_His sire, his nest-mate, his peers, all of them though it better to pretend he didn't exist," _The dragon said with a short snarl. _"They would berate him for trying to help them all, some beating him physically and mentally. All of them, save this Gobber fellow," _he added. With a huff the dragon began a rant.

"_When he helped me fly again, do you know how happy I was? How much work and effort my Hiccup must have put into the painstaking process of giving me my freedom again? And yet look at them, they don't even treat him as an equal, they treat him like…" _He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought and instead lay down and curled himself in a ball. He could hear the Nadder do the same a short distance away. "_I want to take him away from this place, so very far away so that they can't hurt him anymore, but he's just so set on trying to help these people. They don't deserve it, especially the ones who hurt him the most. A Sire should never abandon his hatch-lings like that. And his nest-mate, she made him feel so worthless at times, I just can't understand it. Just why?"_ he finally finished. The dragon felt emotionally drained now and just waited for sleep to take him while it could. _"I just wish he wouldn't be so hard on himself, he degrades himself as much as the others do."_

"_One heart, one mind, two bodies; a true bond." _the Nadder spoke quietly in understanding for the other dragon.

"_Aye, thanks for listening, uh," _Toothless started suddenly admonishing himself and Hiccup for not even bothering to ask for the dragons' names.

"_Stormfly, I would prefer to be known as Stormfly," _she replied.

"_Thank you then Stormfly,"_ Toothless said quietly. The Nadder knew he meant more than just listening to the rant, so much more. For he knew she too felt the need to stay by the boy's side, she felt the need more than the other dragons held within the arena. She turned towards the direction of the Nightfury again once she heard the gentle breaths of sleep take him over.

"_You could be a little less hard on yourself as well, he depends on you more than you realize,"_ she said quietly as she let sleep claim her as well.

* * *

><p>Dawn was fast approaching, and the dragons knew that even with their new leader's optimistic ideals, the rest of the village was full of a bunch of stubborn old fools too caught up in their own foolish prideful old ways to realize the gem that they had let fall out of their grasp. The same gem that was now the best hope for peace since the blasted war had begun. The same small gem that they knew would be rejected by his own, the one they would protect and see his ideals through for him. The boy had the soul of a dragon burning in him, and they'd die before that spirit would be allowed to flicker out of existence.<p>

Years of repetition had a way of making an unbreakable habit. For Stoick, he had many such habits, the first being waking up just as the dawn appears on the horizon. A broad smile stretched across his face. Today was the day, the day his son finally became a Viking. He was to kill the Monstrous Nightmare kept at the Kill Ring at noon and with it prove himself a true Viking once and for all. Stoick couldn't be more proud.

He quickly prepared himself in the same fashion he'd done for years. The chief dressed himself with his green tunic, throwing his chain armor on over it. Most of the Vikings either went with iron breastplates or leather armor, but Stoick, like a few others, preferred his iron scale mail. The metal offered more protection, but kept the maneuverability that leather provided all the while being much lighter than solid iron armor. His belt which carried the Berkian crest was fastened over the mail. He them donned his fur cloak held on b the clasps in his shoulder guards.

Leaving his room, he debated for just a moment on whether or not he should venture upstairs and wake Hiccup. He thought against it though. Hiccup deserved all the sleep he could get; after all, he'd be fighting on his own today. Grabbing his helmet off of its resting place on the hearth on his way out Stoick left the Haddock household and was immediately met by Gobber, the village blacksmith.

Gobber was a large rounded man, missing his two limbs on the left side. His balding blond hair was obscured by his own helmet while his long mustache was braided instead. He had slight stubble growing on his chin, and had stones replacing at least three of his teeth; his clothes consisted of an old and worn yellow tunic and matching trousers. "Oh! Stoick," the blacksmith said with a rather surprised tone. "I was just coming to get you. The arena is all set, although the other dragons are rather quiet for some reason. Not very hungry it would seem," he added.

"Everything is set then?" Stoick asked as they made their way to the Great Hall together.

"Aye, the weapons are laid out, even though I doubt Hiccup could use most of them," Gobber replied. Stoick nodded. "Then again, he hasn't been using anything besides his hands in the ring anyway."

"Aye, I'm still trying to get used to it," Stoick said, pride dripping from his voice. "Hiccup, placing first in Dragon Training! Who would have thought?" The chief took a deep breath and smiled. The two continued on in silence as they passed through the village greeting all their fellow villagers. The Great Hall came into sight. The massive stone entrance was built into the mountain side, sealed off with massive engraved doors. The statues resting outside were to guard against spirits and other supernatural phenomenon, at least that was the myth.

The inside was filled with even more people. Most still celebrating their safe return back from the disastrous search for the dragon's nest. The interior of the massive hall was lined with rows and rows of tables, most of which were filled with feast and drinking Vikings just starting their days. Off along the far wall was the kitchen were the food and drinks were served. The walls were covered in murals detailing the ancient history of Berk. Further towards the back was another door that led to the war room where Stoick and the other village heads would gather to discuss war or their plans for searches. It was an ornate room with a massive chandelier of a golden Nightmare wrapped around a sword. The round table underneath it was covered in a large map showing all of their known waters and the islands in them.

After the Vikings collected their food and mead, they ate. Chatting with some of the men and women who came by to once again congratulate Stoick for his son's turn around with the scaly demons the two were off once again. As they made their way to the arena Stoick could see the banners flying in the morning sunlight, even from the other side of the wooden bridge.

Once across Gobber led the chief around the perimeter of the ring, testing the chain bindings. On the opposite side of the entrance Stoick could see the alcove in which the murals of previous dragon training champions rested. Hiccup's would be up there with them by the end of the day. In front of the alcove next to the ring sat a stone throne where he would watch the fight.

It would soon be noon and now the villagers were beginning to arrive. The whole village would gather to watch the fight. Most of the time they would anyway but this year it was different. This year the village screw-up was going to be killing a dragon in front of the village. The boy who tried so hard to fight dragons finally could prove himself to be a Viking and not a hiccup.

* * *

><p>Hiccup knew that the sweet refuge of sleep would elude him for the remaining hours of the morning so instead he had made his way to the Great Hall before the sun even finished rising. As he suspected the hall was for the most part deserted.<p>

Famished, he quickly ate, dropped his dishes back off by the kitchen and silently left the hall. The Sun was just above the horizon now. With a sigh Hiccup decided to go to the forge for a short while. Slipping through the curtains that separated his little workshop from the rest of the smithy Hiccup pasted the time looking through all of his old drawings and sketches that lay strewn about the small room.

"This is it, probably never coming back in here again," he mumbled to himself as he straightened his desk out and neatly pilled all of the books and papers off in a corner. Casting a look to the far corner where many of his failed creations lay gathering dust or waiting to be scrapped for parts. The mangler sat at the top of the pile. The first and last successful dragon hunting tool he'd ever designed.

The small boy allowed himself to be lost in memories. Memories from where he was best friends with his crush. Memories from when he and his cousin got along. Memories from when the village saw him as a person rather than a talking fish bone doomed to destroy everything he touched. All he had ever tried to do was making his father proud and help protect the village as best he could.

And yet despite all of his good intentions all he accomplished was making everyone hate him. The village treated him like an outcast every time he stepped outside during a dragon raid. His crush, the girl who he had once known better than even he knew himself had treated him as if he didn't exist. His father would stare at him, disappointment burned under his gaze. And it hurt; it hurt so much that every time it killed him a little more inside.

One day after long hours of helping Toothless learn to fly again the Nightfury had asked him _why_. Just why did Hiccup put up with it? Why did he bottle up all of his suffering, knowing it would eat him from the inside out? Why didn't he just leave it all behind and start anew somewhere else? Hiccup himself didn't know. Some days he even asked himself that very same question. Perhaps it was just that Viking stubbornness, but regardless he had to try and put a stop to it all.

A hand on his shoulder made the startled boy jump out of his skin. Grabbing the dagger he hid under his fur vest he turned on his feet as his thoughts came crashing back to Midgard. Astrid took a step back lacing enough space between them that neither of them would be injured by something. It took Hiccup only a second to realize who it was and sighed with relief.

"Geez Astrid," he said trying to calm his racing heart. "Don't do that!"

"I called you like three times, you never answered," the blond girl replied. She wore her signature outfit, the accompanying battle axe clipped to the back of her belt. She settled her hands on her hips and gave him a reprimanding look. "What were you doing, you're supposed to be going to the arena!" she impulsively snapped. Immediately remembering the dilemma he faced, her expression softened. "Oh, uh, sorry," she mumbled.

Hiccup gave her a half smile. "It's alright, I probably should be heading there anyway," he said. She looked at him with concern in her eyes. In the back of his mind he can't help but feel the irony. _'She remembers I exist just before I get banished, fantastic,'_ he noted to himself sarcastically.

"_Hiccup,"_ Toothless warned. "_I told you were should have just left ages ago," _he added with that smug attitude of his. The boy forgot that his dragon could hear his every thought for a moment.

"_How are you holding up bud?"_ Hiccup asked him.

"_Just fine, having a rather enlightening chat with _Stormfly_," _the dragon replied. Hiccup was about to ask who he was talking to when the blond Valkyrie interrupted his train of thought again.

"Hiccup!" she yelled slugging him on the shoulder causing the boy to yelp in surprise and pain.

"What!?" he nearly shouted back as he rubbed the felling back into the spot where she assaulted him. He could already feel a bruise forming, great.

"I asked you if you figured something out, but you just started ignoring me again," she scolded. Hiccup could help but feel the irony of her words.

"Well, yes I figured something out, now we better get to the arena before you punch me again," Hiccup grumbled. He didn't know if she raised her fist with the earnest thought of hitting him again or if she was just messing with him, but either way he maneuvered behind her and out from the other side of the curtains before she had a chance to do anything.

"Hey!" she called before following him out.

The village was practically empty. They were all at the arena he knew, but the emptiness disturbed him, he was used to being n his own, but to see the entire village like this just felt wrong. As they made their way across the bridge onto the sea stack built into the mountainside he could see the entire village crowding around the ring just waiting for a show. A show he'd wager they wouldn't be expecting.

He was greeted and cheered for as he wiggled his way through the thick crowd. Astrid had a much easier time, forcefully shoving her way through people. As he made his way down the slope that led to the entrance he took a deep breath. He could hear his father giving a speech up above. Was is supposed to be encouraging that his father was saying how proud he was that his son was going to become a dragon killer? Just thinking about it made his stomach churn.

He had to taking a few more breaths to calm himself. Astrid walked in front of him, holding something in her hands. "Be careful with that dragon," she said to him handing the object in her hands to him. He looked down and saw his helmet that his father had given him in his hands.

"It's not the dragon that I'm worried about," Hiccup replied gripping the helmet tighter as he saw his father walking towards the stone throne that the chief traditionally sat in. He felt the fear in his heart racing as the entire crowd started getting louder. He could feel Toothless trying to ease some of the uneasiness with his own reassurances. He could also feel the Nadder throwing her own words here and there but both of them barely registered as he watched his father sit down and motion to Gobber who was waiting in the arena already.

"What do you plan to do?" Astrid asked.

"Put an end to this war," Hiccup replied trying to steel his nerves. "I have to try at least," he added. Astrid looked as if she were about to say something but Hiccup cut her off before she even started. "Look, no matter how bad things seem to get, promise me you won't get involved. If this goes south you can walk away from this unscathed."

Astrid looked at him bewildered for a moment. Then the urge to fight him rose. There was no way she'd leave him there if things took a turn for the worse.

"I know how much it means to your family that they keep as much honor as possible," Hiccup said quietly freezing the blond in her tracks. "Promise me Astrid, promise you won't get involved, if not for me, then for your family's honor."

She gave him a defeated look. "Ok, I promise, just promise _me_ that it won't go wrong," she replied looking downcast.

"I can't," he replied, sounding as if he already knew what the outcome would be. And for some reason her chest ached. "But if it's anything to you, your uncle was the bravest man I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing and nothing will ever change that," he added as Gobber waddled his way over to him. Astrid looked at him as if he'd just fallen from Asgard. Ever since the run in with the Flightmare nine years ago the village hasn't treated her family's warriors with the same respect as they had before, and it hurt. But for him to say something like that, right there and then, it was almost like he wanted to give her some encouraging last words.

'_No!'_ she said to herself as if realizing just what was going to happen for the first time. She couldn't let him do that! She tried to reach out for him, but he had already turned around just as the larger man took him by the shoulder

"Go on, Hiccup, it's time," the blacksmith said. "Knock 'em dead," he added. Gobber continued up, pasted the boy locking the inner metal gate as he did separating the two younger Vikings.

Taking a last deep breath the boy put his helmet on. The weight seemed far heavier than it should, as if all the weight of the world had just been dumped upon his head. He could hear his cousin Snotlout and the Thorston twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut shouting out to him. Every single one of the villagers was chanting his name or cheering him on. His body began shaking.

He made his way to the center of the arena where a weapons rack was waiting for him. There he picked up a simple shield and a dagger. He had no intention of using them for fighting, but rather for a more symbolical purpose. He turned and faced the Nightmare's cage. He could feel Toothless's presence just beyond the massive stone gate that housed the Deadly Nadder. It reassured him in no small way.

"I'm ready!" Hiccup called out just as Gobber made his way over to the lever above the cage on the outside of the ring.

* * *

><p><strong>What did Astrid realize? What is Hiccup planning? Do you know where this is going?<strong>

**Ok, so I know I'm bad with updates but I'm trying to go every other week with this one. I wanted to have it done by Monday but between watching all of the Riders/Defenders of Berk and work; it took a little while longer than I'd hoped. Plus a terrible case of writers block didn't help. But after this part the rest of the story really starts to pick up. **

**Ok, so you may be wondering why all the characters in this chapter had similar thoughts, well, that's because this chapter was all about building character, getting to know them better. How they think, and how they act. It also doubled as Stormfly's introduction in the beginning. There's just something about the comradeship between those two that warms my heart. Also that Stormfly plays a very vital role in this story later on as being one of Hiccup's most steadfast companions. There was a little idea that popped in my head while watchng some of the episodes. Particularly between Hookfang and Hiccup, try and guess what I observed, I dare you. ;p **

**On that note, some of the episodes left me with more questions than answers, particularly with Fearless Finn Hofferson and his incursion with the Flightmare. I don't really see why the village would rip on 'ol Fearless Finn for freezing in the middle of a fight, I mean at least he tried rather than high-tail it like everyone else in the village did. If anything he was still more courageous than the whole lot of them.**

**So, if any of you have questions feel free to ask away, I'll answer if I get a chance so don't be shy. Also feel free to leave a review or two, I'm always looking to improve and your input means a lot.** **So, till next time!**

**~knownobody**


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